ABC’s 25-year delayed entry into cable news might have worked 25 years ago, but not today 7/11/07

Lost Remote and TVNewsDay report that after 25 years of thinking about it, ABC is finally going to enter the cable news business. And after 25 years, their entry will be — drumroll, please — an all-news channel that combines ABC’s regular news fare with half-hourly insertions of their affiliates’ local news.

Well, that might have been a terrific idea 25 years ago when ABC’s deliberations began. But since then, more and more have decided they don’t really like ABC news — especially cable news viewers who do have a choice and could be watching ABC news if they wanted to. The number of people who watch network news is half what it was 25 years ago, and the number who believe ABC news is highly believable has dropped by about one-third. Viewers are now turning to the edgier, more partisan Fox and CNN, two channels where news IS their business, and not a neglected step-child to entertainment as at ABC.

Does ABC really think that if their news had only been available around the clock all these years they’d dominate cable news? If so, the public will have some news for ABC.